A Capacity Building Program for NGOs and Trade Unions, 4-6 November 2009, Bangkok, Thailand

Oct 06, 2009

Category:

OECD Watch and The Diplomacy Training Program have partnered to deliver the forthcoming regional capacity building program on Corporate Accountability: Tools to Promote Responsible Business Conduct. The program has been developed to assist civil society and community leaders to actively engage in the social, environmental and human rights challenges posed by the influence of corporations, particularly multi-national enterprises in the region.

The OECD Guidelines for Multinational
Enterprises and other internationally agreed standards, principles and
guidelines (such as the ILO Conventions and Declarations, The International
Bill of Human Rights and the Global Compact) provide a comprehensive framework
for addressing the role and responsibility of the private sector in sustainable
development and in upholding human rights.

Civil Society
Organisations (CSOs) including trade
unions play a key role in addressing societal concerns about the behaviour of
corporations throughout their global supply and productions chains. To be
effective it is important to understand the tools available to promote
responsible business conduct and strategies to effectively engage with key
decision makers in both business and government.

Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) play an
increasingly important role in today’s globalised world. MNEs have the capacity
to have direct impact on communities, workers, indigenous peoples and the
environment. They can facilitate sustainable development and contribute to
poverty eradication. However, this impact is not always positive, particularly
in emerging economies and conflict zones.

Governance and regulatory gaps exist, and
must be addressed by home and host governments, multinational enterprises and
multilateral organisations. This requires strengthening existing standards,
principles and guidelines for multinational enterprises, developing new
regulatory measures, facilitating multi-stakeholder initiatives and conflict
resolution and redress mechanisms.

The seminar will be held as a side event to
the OECD and UN Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) “Regional
Conference on Corporate Responsibility: Why Responsible Business Conduct
Matters”, and the Trade and Investment Week (2-6 November). A small number
of participants will be able to attend select sessions at these regional
events, providing an opportunity to ensure a Southern CSO
perspective in international policy debate on corporate accountability.

Program

The
program aims to enhance the capacity of civil society organisations to understand
and influence the social, environmental and human rights impacts of global
business in the interest of sustainable development through the use of
international instruments and tools, particularly the OECD Guidelines for Multinational
Enterprises.

Practical skills and exercises for
adressing corporate social and environmental responsibilities, including
research skills, lobbying, advocacy, mediation and engagement with business.

Lessons from different
strategies used by NGOs in the region with an emphasis on migrant workers,
indigenous peoples and supply chains.

Participants

The program is designed for 40-50 civil
society representatives from Asia/Pacific countries who work for, and with,
non-government, labour and community organisations. It is particularly relevant
to OECD Watch members from the region, NGOs and trade unions working on
specific cases and considering using the OECD Guidelines, and other NGOs with a
focus on corporate accountability. Applications from women and Indigenous Peoples’
are encouraged. The training suits both experienced and less experienced
corporate responsibility practitioners, and is conducted in English.

Program organisers

OECD Watch is an international network of
88 civil society organisations from across the world promoting corporate
accountability and responsibility. OECD Watch members are active participants
in policy dialogue at the OECD Investment Committee, the ILO and the UN. The
Netherlands-based Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) hosts the secretariat of OECD Watch.

The Diplomacy Training Program (DTP) is an
independent non-governmental organisation (NGO) providing practical training in
human rights and people’s diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific region. The DTP was founded in 1989 by Jose
Ramos-Horta, the 1996 Nobel Peace Laureate and President of Timor-Leste.
It is affiliated with the Faculty of Law at UNSW
in Sydney,
Australia.For further information on
the program contact Virginia Sandjojo
on virginia@oecdwatch.org or
download documents from the OECD Watch and DTP website.

*** This
seminar is part of OECD Watch’s broader capacity building program of NGOs and
unions. These initiatives have the financial assistance of: The Norwegian
Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Dutch Ministries for Foreign and Economic
Affairs, Oxfam Novib, Dutch Trade Union Federation FNV, Brot for die Welt,
Misereor, and Human Rights at Work Foundation.